Dukrin Karane, Dukrin Karane

Wondering what does the title refer to?
Before explaining about the title, let us know the significance of May 8th,2011 which is JagadGuru Adi Shankaracharya's Janmadina (birthday). Within a short period of his lifetime, he has given a strong message to us through his various shlokas and song compositions. In remembrance of our great Guru, here is a story behind one of his greatest compositions "Bhaja Govindam" also known as "Moha Mudgara".

During his stay on Kashikshetram (Varanasi), one day on his way back to Ashram (hermit) after having bath in Ganges, he heard a student intently repeating "Dukrin Karane, Dukrin Karane, Dukrin Karane" and was trying to memorize a Sanskrit grammar sutra (rules). The student was a youth who was about to finish his studies and going to start his career. Adi Sankara on hearing him cramming the Sanskrit Grammar sutra, felt pity for him and his ignorance. On that moment, he thought "Of what use would the cramming bring in the student's life? It might help him get a good career, but if he gets satisfied with that, he would fail to realise his purpose of life and repeats the birth-death cycle". On that very moment, he composed the song "Bhaja Govindam" and elucidates the real purpose of our life.
Ofcourse in order to make our living we need to study hard, work and learn more to grow in our life. However he emphasize in that song, while these things are required to run our life, they do not help us in realizing our purpose of life. All of us are born for a purpose, which would be known to us only when we seek towards that.
On his Janmadina, let us pray and seek his blessings to make us realize our purpose of life and help us in achieving it.

Here is the soulful rendition of "Bhaja Govindam" by our great M.S.Subbulakshmi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4FUQxn4CnY